


Subterfuge

by youcouldmakealife



Series: Impaired Judgment (and other excuses) [122]
Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, YCMAL 'verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25938463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcouldmakealife/pseuds/youcouldmakealife
Summary: Jared would make a good spy, he thinks.
Relationships: OMC/OMC
Series: Impaired Judgment (and other excuses) [122]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/849798
Comments: 46
Kudos: 347





	Subterfuge

Jared goes to dinner at Gabe and Stephen’s, and it’s nice. Well, nice might not be the right word — Gabe is totally right about the similarities between Jared and Stephen, and if he makes people feel as nervous that he’s judging them fiercely as he feels nervous that Stephen’s judging him fiercely, he is officially sorry. Not sorry enough to stop — he doesn’t even think he’s capable of that — but sorry.

Predictably there are questions about Bryce, but Jared’s gotten fairly used to evasive answers by now, and at one point, when it’s getting a bit close for comfort, he catches a look Gabe shoots Stephen’s way and the questions stop. Well, they don’t, but they’re no longer centred around his marriage, which Jared appreciates. Liney chemistry at its best. And, he guesses, relationship chemistry. It makes him miss Bryce, not that he actually needs the help.

It feels — normal, Jared guesses, similar to grabbing a meal with Raf and Grace, or Chaz and Ashley, which is actually what Bryce was doing when he was at Gabe’s, if the latest picture on Ash’s instagram is from that day. And that makes sense, obviously, it’s just — he doesn’t know. It’s nice. Would be even nicer if it was the kind of thing him and Bryce could do together, but he knows Bryce isn’t ready for it, and honestly he’s just happy Bryce is willing to meet Gabe at all, even if it’s not as Jared’s husband.

He wouldn’t have been surprised if Bryce balked as the date approached, wouldn’t have been angry either, just disappointed, maybe, but at long fucking last Jared gets to go back to Calgary — of course he got traded to a divisional rival when there was only one game between the two of them left in the season — and Bryce starts talking about it less as a possibility and more as an eventuality.

But first Jared hits Edmonton, eats take-out on Julius’ couch, comfortably saying not much of anything, gets fist bumps from a lot of the Oilers, a loose hug from Rogers when he says hi before the game. No hugs after, and Jared doesn’t blame them, coming off a two goal night that honestly feels as good as a hat trick would. Julius is straight up sulky for a good ten minutes before he eases up when they hang out after, and Jared guesses he can’t blame him for that. Wins are hard enough to come by for the Oilers without the salt in the wound of a former player getting the game-winner and the insurance goal. 

He’s got an Oilers’ puck in his back when they touch down in Calgary, a dinner date with Bryce and Gabe and a Chaz buffer. Neither of the goals against the Oilers were milestones, technically, but Gabe fished the first puck out of the net anyway, got their trainer Dillon to write ‘1st career goal against the Oilers’ on it, and he’s pretty sure Bryce is going to be happy to add it to the wall collection. Fuck ‘em.

He has enough time to unpack before dinner, probably not enough time to steel himself to see Bryce. Or like, steel himself to not react when he sees Bryce, more accurately. If he isn’t careful he’s going to be grinning wide enough to split his face, and that would probably tip Gabe off.

Bryce texts him to let him know he’s going to be late — he has some stupid social media thing he couldn’t get out of — which gives Jared extra time. Jared puts on his best game face, meets Gabe in the lobby. He said yes right away when Jared asked if he wanted to join him for dinner with a couple Flames he knew, which was good, because Jared probably would have had a hard time thinking up a reason to persuade him if he wasn’t interested. Jared has been blessed with yet another easygoing liney after the suspicious troll that is Julius Halla.

Chaz is already there when they arrive, quits studying the menu like he hasn’t seen it a thousand times before — this is usually where Bryce grabs dinner with him and Ash — to stand up and pull Jared into a bro hug.

“My friend Chaz,” Jared says. “He was my linemate on the Hitmen. And um. Chaz’s teammate Bryce is going to be joining in a bit.”

“Nice to meet you,” Gabe says, and when all the introduction pleasantries are over Chaz gives Jared a completely disgusted look. Which is fair. That was not a good introduction. Jared could have at least claimed Bryce as a _friend_ instead of downgrading his own husband to ‘Chaz’s teammate’. He hopes Chaz doesn’t tell Bryce about it.

Fuck, Chaz is totally going to tell Bryce about it.

They talk Juniors for a bit, Gabe telling them about his time with the Knights. He roomed with the captain of the Panthers, which is kind of crazy. Jared wonders if he’s ever going to hit the point where he isn’t a little starstruck about some players. Not his teammates, obviously, or like — hell, his husband, but it’s a weird cognitive dissonance. 

They’ve got their drinks, ordered appetizers when Bryce arrives, and Jared has to actively clench his teeth so he doesn’t grin when he sees him walk in the doorway. He’s seen him on video calls, plenty of them, watched his highlights, even watched a bunch of stupid awkward interviews at a low point, cringing emtire whole time at how uncomfortable Bryce is the with the media. But it’s completely different than being in the same room with him, being able to touch him — except not, actually. No touching allowed. Fuck.

“Hey,” Bryce says when he gets to the table, posture almost as awkward as it is when he’s got a mic in his face. “Jared. Long time no see.”

“Yeah,” Jared says. “Um. Nice to see you again.”

Gabe will notice if Jared just — buries his face in Bryce’s shoulder for awhile, Jared suspects, so that’s out. But it’s what he wants to do right now. This was a bad idea. They really should have done this when it hadn’t been months since Jared was in the same place as Bryce. 

“You too,” Bryce says, then takes a seat beside Chaz. Which makes sense, because it’s a four-seater, and unless Chaz or Gabe move he’s not going to be sitting across or beside Jared, and also it’s probably for the best they’re a little separated, but —

Jared is admittedly sulking a little about it.

“Ordered apps,” Chaz says. “Didn’t know what you wanted so figured we’d hold off on the entrees.”

Jared could have made a pretty good stab at guessing, but then, that wouldn’t exactly be subtle, so holding off was the right move.

“Cool,” Bryce says, and when the appetizers arrive he orders a Molson and a steak, extra steamed vegetables, which is exactly what Jared would — but did not — order for him.

Dinner’s awkward. Well, he doesn’t think dinner’s actually awkward from Gabe’s perspective, at least he hopes not? But it’s honestly all Jared can do not to text Bryce under the table to meet him in the bathroom so he can just _hug_ him, not even do anything else, so it’s a massive exercise in restraint, and frankly he’s grateful when Chaz lies and says him and Bryce are meeting up with someone pretty much the second the entrees are finished, Bryce only giving him one hopelessly confused look before he catches on and agrees.

Gabe’s still got half a beer when the tab’s been paid and Bryce and Chaz have headed out, and Jared can’t exactly rush him, or say he has other plans. It’s still early, and when dinner’s done they’re ostensibly going back to the same hotel — well, they _are_ , it’s just that Jared’s going to be turning around after they part ways and immediately walking to his apartment, which is thankfully nearby, if Bryce isn’t already waiting with a getaway car.

Jared would make a good spy, he thinks.

“So,” Jared says, trying to think of something to say that isn’t ‘finish your beer, Gabe’. “Chaz. Known him for years.”

“Yeah, some of those Juniors friendships last forever, eh?” Gabe asks.

“Yeah,” Jared says. 

Gabe takes a sip of beer. It isn’t a big enough sip, in Jared’s opinion.

“They seemed like cool guys,” Gabe says. “You know you can just tell me you’re married, though.”

“I did?” Jared says.

“I mean to Bryce,” Gabe says.

Jared goes cold.

“I—” Jared says. “Why do you think that?”

“You’re both wearing wedding rings,” Gabe says. “Like, matching ones.”

“All wedding rings pretty much look the same,” Jared says.

Gabe raises an eyebrow at him.

“And I know he’s from Vancouver, because that always comes up when we play the Flames,” Gabe says. “And I know that you’re living with your mother-in-law right now.”

“That could be a coincidence?” Jared says weakly.

“Also you haven’t stopped looking at each other all night,” Gabe says. “And not glances or anything, that was full on—”

Jared suspects Gabe just stopped himself from saying ‘eye-fucking’, which is mortifying, and also almost definitely true, probably why Chaz had kicked him under the table at one point, and extremely hard to defend. What’s he going to say? ‘No, he’s not my husband, I actually spent all dinner eye-fucking a dude who isn’t my husband’? That’s objectively much worse than eye-fucking your own husband, which Jared is morally and legally entitled to do.

“Um,” Jared tries, but he’s mostly blank. He’s not great at making excuses at the best of times, and definitely not when he’s been called out and has no proper defence on hand. He would, in fact, make a terrible spy.

“Dude, go home to your husband, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Gabe says.

“Okay,” Jared says, which Gabe’s probably going to take as confirmation Bryce is Jared’s husband, but like — Bryce _is_ , so. “I don’t need to tell you this is like—”

“Not going to tell anyone,” Gabe says. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Thank you,” Jared says. “I — thanks. Not even Stephen?”

“I won’t tell Stephen unless you explicitly say I can tell Stephen,” Gabe says. “And that goes for anything you tell me in confidence, just for the record.”

“Okay,” Jared says. “I gotta — I’d have to ask Bryce about that.”

“Totally get that,” Gabe says. “I’ve uh. I’ve heard some stuff about him—”

Great. Terrific. Jared’s very favourite topic.

“Before you say anything, he was like — all of that was before we got together,” Jared says. “And he was young and — the shit the media says about him—”

Gabe puts his hands up. Which means they’re off his beer, but Jared thinks he’s been given permission to book it, so that’s okay. “I didn’t mean it accusingly. You know your relationship better than anyone else.”

“Yeah,” Jared says. “I um — do you want me to pay up front, or I could owe you or—”

“I’ll take care of it,” Gabe says.

“Thanks,” Jared says, already standing, because it feels like time’s of the essence. And it isn’t, he knows that, knows he’s got plenty of time once he’s there — well, not plenty, but plenty compared to the scarcity he’s had — but he sat across a table from Bryce for over an hour and didn’t get to touch him once, and that honestly needs to be rectified as soon as possible.

“Hey Jared?” Gabe asks.

“Yeah?” Jared says.

“ _Nice_ ,” Gabe says.

“I know, right?” Jared says when he manages to recollect himself.

Gabe laughs, probably less at the response than the fact that Jared is currently beet red. 

“Go home,” Gabe says.

“Yeah,” Jared says. “I’m gonna—”

Gabe shoos him off, and it’s kind of embarrassing, the speed Jared leaves that restaurant. But whatever. He’s mortified himself enough in front of Gabe in an impressively short timeframe, that’s probably not even in the top five, and anyway, he’s got somewhere to be.


End file.
